5 Fun (& Free) Activities for Kids On the Farm

February 5, 2018

You aren’t the typical suburban family. Sure, you have a house and neighbors - although you have to make an effort to see them. But your house, sitting on an expansive piece of land or a functioning farm, has a heck of lot more privacy. What an incredible place to grow up!
There’s plenty to do on a farm to keep those kiddos entertained. So we put together a list of fun, free activities to keep your kids enjoying the farm and engaged in its various facets.

Get Creative With Games

Fill a bucket or trough-shaped container with hay. Hopefully you have some farm animal toys on hand, but if not, create some by coloring popsicle sticks or using other small toys. Hide each farm animal toy throughout the hay. The bigger the mess, the more the kids will love it. Countdown to the search, and go! Whoever finds the most farm animals wins the game, and the winner gets to dig around in the hay and hide the animals for the next round. Best out of 10!

Pick Wild Flowers and Use Them As Water Colors

This may sound unentertaining to an adult, but the idea that petals and leaves can stain a porous object is pretty freaking cool to a kid. Warning: gloves might be a good idea for this one. Send your child into the field to pick some colorful flowers and grasses, and find a light colored rock – as long as it appears to be porous enough to absorb the natural pigments. A rock that’s a carry-able size will be great, that way your child can keep it as a fun momento after the project is complete. Once the gloves are on, simply rub the petals, stems or leaves on the rock, and watch the natural coloring canvas appear. It takes a lot more time to paint an object this way than it would with water colors or markers on a piece of construction paper, but it will certainly be more special.

Make Homemade Butter

What you’ll need? A mason jar or glassware with a sealing lid and heavy whipping cream. Fill the jar about half way with the cream, make sure the lid is tightly sealed and SHAKE. It takes a while to shake the cream into butter, around 30 minutes, so trading off between you and your child will be a good idea. You may even consider turning on some of your favorite tunes and get to shaking to the rhythm of the music. Check the progression every five minutes or so. The cream will slowly start to take form, and within about 25-30 minutes, you should have a whipped, semi-solid butter. Pour through a strainer to remove excess cream. Now, time for some biscuits.

Build a Worm Farm

Worms are some of the strangest, most harmless little creatures on Earth. Most kids can’t help but love them. All you’ll need to build a worm farm is a mid-size clear vase or large jar, dirt and sand, and of course, some worms. Begin construction by layering in an inch of dirt, then an inch of sand, and repeat until the vase is nearly full. Adding a little water will be a welcomed touch for the worms – they prefer an environment with some moisture.
Then pick out which lucky worms you want to join the farm and place them on top. They’ll immediately start wiggling away into the dirt and disappear in no time. To prevent the possibility of spilling dirt everywhere, a breathable lid is a good idea. Something similar to netting will work. Seal it around the container with a rubber band, and remember to keep your little friends in a shady spot. They prefer the dark, and won’t last long in direct sunlight.

Paint With Hay as Your Instrument

Got hay? Great! Just grab a few handfuls, straightening the blades to lay together, tape or rubber band them together about an inch above the base, and you have yourself an au natural paint brush. Make several, one for each color your kids will want to use, since rinsing off hay brushes is difficult. Pick out some large, thick construction paper or poster board, and with your child draw a landscape, such as a barn or a field bordered by a long treeline. Any scene from the outdoors will be great.
Keep paints in an empty egg carton or on a tray. Thicker paint will work best with this type of brush. Your kids will love it, and at the end, they’ll have a pretty painting of their farm or land to show off.

When you live on a farm or on a beautiful piece of land, your children have a unique opportunity for more freedom and natural creativity in their day-to-day activities than most. Let your kids guide the way – sometimes they can have the best ideas. We provided just five fun activities, but think outside the box about what you already have on hand and on your land. You’ll probably have your own list in no time as long as you’re not afraid to get a little bit dirty. It’s a beautiful day to enjoy some fun, free activities with your kids on this wonderful land you’ve cultivated.

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